Ervin Santana was suspended by Major League Baseball for violating the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. A report from MLB.com states Santana is suspended for 80 games during the 2015 regular season. It puts the Minnesota Twins in a very difficult position, as the team had expected him to put in a lot of innings over the year. It means the team will have to scramble to quickly replace him in the starting rotation.

The news has just come down that Ervin Santana will miss at least the first 80 games, and he released a statement through the Players Association. It addressed the fans, his team, and his opinion on what had taken place.

“This is unexpected news for me and my family.I am issuing this statement so the public knows where I stand. First, my deepest apologies to my family, fans, colleagues, teammates and my current employer the Minnesota Twins. I am very disappointed that I tested positive for a performance enhancing drug. I am frustrated that I can’t pinpoint how the substance in question entered my body. I would never knowingly take anything illegal to enhance my performance. What I can guarantee is I never knowingly took anything illegal to enhance my performance. That’s just not me, never has been and never will.”

The statement reads like many that have been sent out by players suspended for drug violations and Ervin Santana is already receiving a lot of negative attention on social media. As was previously reported on The Inquisitr, Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun also claimed to be innocent and that he would never take any type of performance-enhancing drug. It was later proven that he did and he would wind up apologizing for the lies that he told publicly. He muddied the waters for any player like Santana that might claim innocence for a failed test later.

The Minnesota Twins have also released a statement about the situation and The Star Tribuneopined about it on Friday (April 3). It presents the exact response expected from a team that just signed a big four-year, $56 million contract with a prized free agent.

“We were disappointed to learn of the suspension of Ervin Santana for violating Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. We fully support Major League Baseball’s policy and its efforts to eliminate performance enhancing substances from our game. Per the protocol outlined in the Joint Drug Program, the Minnesota Twins will not comment further on this matter.”

The decision was already made to recall left-hander Aaron Thompson from Triple-A Rochester to take the spot of Ervin Santana in the starting rotation. His suspension goes into place immediately and his first chance to return to the field will come right before the 2015 All-Star break.